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Gershwin Theatre
The George Gershwin Theatre (commonly known as simply the Gershwin Theatre), located at 222 West 51st Street in New York City, was originally built as the Uris Theatre in 1972. It was the first theatre built on Broadway since 1928 and at 1900 seats is currently the largest theatre on Broadway. It was designed by Ralph Alswang and opened November 28, 1972 with the musical Via Galactica. The name of the theatre was changed to the Gershwin Theatre on June 5, 1983 during the Tony Awards ceremony to honor composer George Gershwin. It is run by Nederlander and Oestreicher. Currently, the theatre is the home of the smash hit musical Wicked. External links *Gershwin Theatre Gershwin Theatre *Broadway Theatre Guide with full show details for Wicked The Musical To avoid confusion, it should be pointed out that in New York City (in the Borough of Brooklyn) there is another theatre of the same name -- the George Gershwin Theatre -- which was the first theatre in New York to be named after the famous Brooklyn composer, himself a Brooklynite. This 500 seat proscenium theatre opened its doors in 1953 with the opening night premiere of the then rising star, Leontine Price. It is one of four theatres in the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts complex -- including the 2500 seat Walt Whitman Theatre, the New Workshop Theatre in the round and the 145 seat Sam Levenson Recital Hall. Located on the beautiful Brooklyn College campus at 2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn NY, Brooklyn's George Gershwin Theatre (also commonly known as just the "Gershwin Theatre"), is the home of the college's Theatre Department since it first opened its doors until the present day. In its earlier years it was also the home of the Center's resident chamber ensemble, the Carnegie String Quartet, circa 1966 to 1974 and for six years, the Educational Theatre Guild's Family Cinema lit up the screen every other Sunday. In front of its footlights such notable thespians as Jimmy Smits (LA Law, West Wing), Bernie Barrow (Ryan's Hope, Serpico) and Academy Award-winner, F. Murry Abraham (Amadeus) plyed their craft. And for 18 years, it was the only theatre in New York City dedicated to preserving and presenting authentic Yiddish Theatre with such luminaries as Molly Picon, Fyvush Finkel, Lillian Lux, and Avi Hoffman, recreating classic Yiddish plays and skits in fully-staged engagements. In 1996, when President Bill Clinton unveiled his AmeriCorps initiative to New Yorkers, he eschewed Manhattan and chose Brooklyn Center's George Gershwin Theatre in the heart of Flatbush to do so. The George Gershwin Theatre has been in continuous operation since its opening in 1953 (it has never needed to change its name); it mounts four fully staged theatrical productions each season with an eclectic mix of theatrical offerings from Spring Awakening to The Glass Menagerie to A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, as well as dozens of classical, jazz and modern music concerts, recitals and film screenings, many of which are offered free to the public. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Brooklyn College, City University of NY Category:Theatres Category:Broadway Theatres